Drop-door fastening for cars.



@xvi buono P. FURGESON E. L. WHELAND.

DROP DOOB. FASTENING FOR GARS.

APPLIOATIOI FILED rmi. 4, 1909.

Patented Sept 14,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

anche,

P. FURGESON & E. L. WHELAND.

DROP DooR PASTENING POB CARS.

APPLICATION FILED PERA, 1909.

934,299. Patenteasepn14-19o9. l7` asuma-s112111* 2.

Strona,

`U'NiTnn sTATiis PATENT onricn.

YETEB FURG-ESON AND EDWIN L. WHELAND, OF YOUINGrS'JIOVVN,v OHIO.Y

` vDROP-DOOR FASTENING FORGARS.

934,299. Specication of Letterspatent. Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Application sied February 4', i909. Iserial No. 476,0401'" Y To all 'whom 'it 'may concer/rt: present invention, the view also illustrating fastening for cars of-the drop. bottom `or tive and Adirect `release ofthe out departing from thescope ofthe inven certain of the doors closed and other doors opened in order to more clearly show the action oi' the shii'table holding rollers in both locking and releasing positions. Fig. e 2 is a bottom plan View of the central part 'of the cai' illustrated in Fig. l, and showing the opposite sets of doors closed and held in such positions by the holding rollers. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View on the 5'5 line of Fig.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the sereral figures oil the drawings. I lncarrying the invention iiito eilect, the improved drop door fastening claimed herein may be utilized in connection with any ofv the common and well known forms of drop bottoni cars, either oi the regular freight or v ore cai' varieties, and which embody in their organization .dumping drop doors, so or. illustrative purposes, there is shown in the drawings an ordinary type of drop bottom car designated in ,sitsent-irety by the numeral 1. /fPli'e drop bottoni or dumpcar 1 shown in' the drawings includes in its construction so the usual car body 2 carried by the wheel trucks and provided with the inclined end portions 3 and a plurality of hoppers or pockets 3a from which the contents are discharged through the bottoni dump openings 4,' which latter are adapted to be covered and uncovered by the drop doors In this connection it will of course be understood that the "invention may be associated with 'car bodies having any number of discharging 90 hoppers or pockets, or only a single one of such hoppers or pockets, without affecting the functions performed by the improved fastening. lt is only essential, for the par? poses of the present invention, that the cui bottom embody in its vorganization one or more of the discharging hopprs or pockets 3a', 'the drop doors 5 for such hoppers'or pockets being locked and releasedthrongh the action ot' the improved fastening means 100 claimed herein. ln explanation of the arrangement of pockets and drop doors shown in Fig. l of the drawings, it will be noted that the end or terminal pockets 3a are closed at one side by the inclined end portions 3 of 1.95 the cai' body, and each of said terminal pockets. is4 provided with a single 'd unip opening i covered and uncovered by a single drop door 5. whereas the central poeh-et or hopper 3 of the car body is open ai' botli Be it known' that we, PETER FUaonsoN and Enwin L. Wiinmna, both residing at Youngstown, in. the vcounty of' Mahoning und State of Chio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Door Fastenings for Gars, ot which the following is a specification. f

his invention relates to the subject of drop bottom cars of the type usually employedin handling coal and ore products and embodying dumping drop doors.

To this end the invention primarily has iu view a simple and practical drop door hopper bottom type, and contemplates a fastening for this purpose which possesses the distinct advantage o t being conveniently and ra idly manipulated, (that is, readily release( and dropped to an operative door holding position), and also providing a most substantial and 'secure fasteinin lfor the doors toprevent them from acci entally or otherwise .being opened exce t by -the posi- ?astening itself.

Furthermore, the invention provides the improved fastening in connection with the drop doors so arranged that in the event of becoming loose while the car is running, the same will readily swing back "and pass over obstructions on the track without causing the disastrous results which frequently happen from that cause,viz: from drop doors falling open while the car is running and striking obstructions on the track,

`With these and many other objects in View, which will readily appear as the nature of the inventionv is better understood, the same consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more' fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential feature of the invention in volved' in the novel mounting of the bodily shiftable and gravitating holding rollersuin combination with the doors, is necessarily susceptible to structural-modification withtion, but a practical embodiment of .the latter is suggested' in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional. view of a drop bottom'cai' having a plurality of drop doors andequipped with .the improved drop door fastenings contemplated by the A Cn t bodily. shiftable Y is supported and 4equipped with doors arranged respectively at opposite sides of the vertical longitudinal center of the car bottom, as may be best seen from Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, However, irrespectiveof the particular arrangement of the drop doors according to the number and position of the pockets or hoppersgf, the separate .drop doors are hinged at their'upper edges, as att?, to suitable points ofSuppOrt, and the dump openings 4 are arranged at any inclination sovlthat the doors when closed lie obliquely andjpreserve the hopper formation ofthe hottolnf v 'According to the present inventioin the transversely arranged, and vertically swinging, drop doors are designed to be fastened in their closed position, and released from the latter, through the medium of holding rollers 7. Each holding roller 7 is arranged to operate entirely beneath the doors with which it is associated, and usually consists of a stout cy4 lindrical rod extending trai'isversely of the carbottom from side to side thereof, and of sufficient strength to not only 'operate as a fastening for the doors to hold them closed, but also as a continuous and rigid support therefor to firmly brace the same against the downwardA pressure of the load contained within the car.

' Each of the bodily shiftable holding roll- .i

1ers 7 isdesigned to havea bearing and rolling contact with bearingy ribs or irons 8 secured upon the outer sidesof the drop doors,

said bearing ribs or irons being disposed edgewise and preferably formed by channelf.y

irons arranged at or near opposite edges 'of the doors and extending from the hinged to the free edge portions thereof. In conjunction with the bearing and rolling contact which each 'holding roller 7 has with the doors with which it is associated, said roller guided in'its movement by means of stationary supporting guides 9 secured to the frame work of the car bottom, and arranged wholly below the latter. The said supportingfguides are preferably 'arranged in the manner shown in the drawin s, that is, respectively at opposite 'sides f t e car body and also 'at a point4 intermediate of the latter. y All of the supporting guides 9 are disposed longitudinally of the car bottom, and are of duplicate formatipn to provide similar supporting 'andl guiding means for vall'of the holding rollers 7. In connection with the said support and guidingofthe rollers 7 it foreach holding roller the stationary supporting guides 9 essentially consist of guide frames having attaching arms or equivalent members .10 fastened' to suitablepoints of support on the car body, andfalso, include in their construction the main inclined supporting and guidinfr members 11 for the rollers. The said niernzbers 11 7 are arranged at an ,upward inclination from a point below the free edges ofthe' drop doors so as to afford means forgpositively guiding the roller up ward and backward' from the latter-:tare to be released, `and downward and forward toward the free edges of the doors when the latter are to be secured in their closed positions.v To facilitate the positive guiding of each roller 7 in these movements, and also to retain the same against longitudin-al displacement;A each of said `rollers is preferably provided at a point between its ends with a retaining collar 12 guided and held between'a pair of supporting guides or guide frames 9 which are located at al point doors when the sov intermediate the opposite sides of the car i bod-y, ings.

To provide for withdrawing the individual rollers 7 upward and away from their holding positions beneath the free edge portions of the drop doors,andtherebyfreleasing the doors, there is utilized a release mechanism, combined with each roller and consistingof a release shaft 13 journaled in suitable bearings provided in or on the guide' frames 9, and suitably arranged pull cables 14 windas plainly shown in Fig. of` the drawing and 'unwinding at one end on the shaft,

and at their other ends having'clevis `ory equivalent loose connections 151withtherollers '7. Each release shaft 13 isfalso provided with a 'locking device preferably consisting of a ratchet disk 16 thereomand a-locking pawlor` dog 17 engaging the teeth' ofthe ratchet disk and -serving to lock vthe release shaft against movement'aften-the winding up of the cables or chains 14 until it is desired to permit the roller. to gravitate down the inclined guiding members 11 and therebyl automatically lift and secure the drop doors. In1 the embodiment of the invention sug gested in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it is preferable, as shown, toutilize one release shaft 13 in connection with holding rollers 7 for oppositely located doors of different ockets 3a and to arrange the separate pull ca les 14 for the separate opposite rollers 7 in such a manner that the said rollers will have the same movement in both `the releasin and locking operations. Of course, it will be understood that any other preferred and practical disposition and arrangement of the releasing mechanism :holding rollers may be resorted towithout affecting the invention. .Y f

It will be obvious from the construction will be observed that described that each holding roller 7;. prowith vrelation yto the vso . free edges backward and upward supported vides a continuous rest or support throughoutthe length of each door secured in place thereby, while at the same timebei'ng capable of freely and readily being drawn y fromits fastening po, sition. Furthermore, each roller is intended to be sufficiently heavy so as to freely gravitate down the inclined guiding members an thereby automatically close and fasten the doors when the hopper has been dumped of its contents.

IVe claim: l. In a drop door fastening for cars, the combination with transversely hinged drop doors, of a bodily shiftable holding roller arranged to gravitate to a fastening position beneaththe free. edges ofthe doors. 2. In a drop door fastening for cars, the combination with transversely hinged drop doors, of a4 bodily shift-able holding roller to-gravitate' to a fastening position beneaththe free edges of the doors, and means for withdrawing the roller upward and backward from said fastening position.

j 3. In a drop door fastening forcars, the combination with transversely hinged drop doors, of stationary incl'ned supporting and g thel doors, and

` combination with transversely doors, of inclined supporting and guiding members, a bodily having a gravitating movement thereon toa guiding members, an.

4 holding roller arranged to gravitate, on said members, to a fastening position beneath the of 'the doors.

door fastening for cars, the

' 4. In a drop hinged drop shiftable holding roller arranged for support on said members and the free edges of e fastening position beneath u means for withdrawing d a bodily shiftable' roller upward and backward from tenmg position.

5. Iii adrop said fas door fastenin-gfor cars',`vl tlie combination with transversel "hingedwdrop doors, of stationary inclined supporting and guiding members, and a bodily shiftable holding roller arranged tinuous support throughout the length of the doors, said roller extending transversely o the car bottom and having a gravitating movement on said members to a position beneath the free edges of the door.

6. In a drop door fastening for cars', the combination with the hinged drop doors, of a plurality of guide lframes having stationary inclined supporting and guiding members, and a bodily shiftable holding r'ollei` arranged on said members and provide with an intermediate retaining collar working between a pair of said members.`

7 In a drop -door fastening for cars, the combination with the hinged drop doors, o separately inclined supporting landI guiding members,va bodily shiftable holding roller carried by said members and operating beneath the doors, and a r'eleasemechanism comprising a release shaft having a locking device and -pull cable winding and unwinding on said shaft and having loose connections with the holding roller.

In testimony whereof we our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER FURGEsoN.

EDWIN L. WHELAND.

fastening hereunto affix to provide a con 

